Maryland beats Bucknell 81-52 in season opener

Luckily for the Maryland Terps and Gary Williams, playing a sloppy home opener somehow resulted into a 29 point romp over the Bucknell Bison Friday night. Landon Milbourne led the Terps in scoring with 16 against a Bucknell team led by new head coach Dave Paulsen.
The Bison committed 20 turnovers during the game, and only had 17 points going into halftime. But the game was not one for Maryland to rejoice over. There are many rough patches and questions marks that Williams needs to address before ACC play.

THE GOOD: The play of guards Adrian Bowie and Cliff Tucker. Bowie had 12 points, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 rebounds and paced the Maryland squad most of the game. Tucker, on the other hand, was given the nod as starter and didn't disappoint. He seemed to be the only Maryland player that could get a shot to drop in the first half, finishing the game with 14 points in 19 minutes.

THE BAD: The first half. Neither side could take a half-decent shot, resulting in an absurd halftime score of 33-17. Their were ugly shots, passes, and possessions. There seemed to be no connection between the Maryland fans and were tossing shots up left and right. It got so bad that part of the student section began to boo the team, a gesture in which Gary Williams laid into, one I didn't agree with, after the game.

THE UGLY: The frontcourt of Maryland. There are two major glares in the Terps' squad right now: rebounding and lowpost scoring. While Braxton Dupree started the game, Jerome Burney was given some minutes. Dupree and Burney were more than disappointing. Dupree could not make a shot, nor hold on to the ball, losing it on multiple occations. Burney still cannot shot and only got 2 rebounds. If Maryland wants any chance to compete for anything this season, their frontcourt needs a drastic change.

On a positive note, this is Maryland's first regular season game, and second overall. There will be miscommunications and miscues, but hopefully that will change soon. The Old Spice Classic is on the horizon, and #6 Michigan State is waiting.